Patent GB-190210958-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Beer Racking Apparatus.
Inventor: COLBY HARRY WILMONT
Filed: 1902-05-13
Granted: 1902-07-17
Abstract: 10,958. Colby, H. W. May 13. Filling with liquids.-Relates to apparatus in which a filling-tube passes through a head by which the bunghole is sealed, both the sealing-head and filling-tube being operated by hydraulic apparatus. The hydraulic cylinders and other parts of the apparatus are so carried in a frame 23, which may be secured to the ceiling, that the sealing-head and filling- tube may be moved aside to bung the cask. An outer, annular, hydraulic cylinder 31, for operating the sealing-head, and an inner cylinder for operating the filling-tube, are used. The pistons in both cylinders are actuated by a single fourway valve or cock 35, from which leads a pipe 39 having a large aperture at the end communicating with the top of the inner cylinder, and a smaller aperture communicating with the outer cylinder, a pipe 40 communicating with the base of the cylinder, an inlet pipe 34, and a pipe 41 leading to the discharge or waste valve 42. A pipe 45 leads from the base of the outer cylinder to the valve 42 to carry off leakage. The valve 35 is operated, through suitable connections, by a lever 38. When the lever is in the horizontal position, as shown, the valve 35 is closed to all the ports, and the apparatus is not operated. When the lever is moved downwards, the filling-tube, which is connected with the piston of the inner cylinder, is moved downwards more rapidly than the sealing-head 29, which is connected with the piston of the outer cylinder. The filling- tube, which is connected with the beer reservoir or tank by a flexible pipe 25, is fitted at the lower end with a valve having a rod passing through the filling-tube and connected directly with the piston of the inner cylinder, the filling-tube itself being connected with the piston by a toggle-joint arrangement, which, before the tube reaches the bottom of the cask or barrel 21 or 22 to be filled, is caused to yield, and, the filling-tube being at the same time arrested, the further movement of the piston only serves to open the valve at the bottom of the filling-tube. When the sealing-head is in position, and before the filling- tube valve is opened, air or gas is admitted into the cask from the tank to prevent frothing when the cask is being filled. The gas is admitted by opening a valve 72 in a pipe 30 leading from the top of the tank to the usual sight glass, which communicates with the cask through the sealing-head. When the cask is filled, the liquid rises in the sight glass, and passing through a check valve 27 returns to the tank through a pipe 26, through which the gas also passes from the cask as the latter is being filled. The lever 38 is now moved upwards, which causes the water to enter the base of the inner cylinder by the pipe 40, and opens the pipe 39 to waste. The inner piston thus rises, and, the waste water from the top of the outer cylinder also passing through the pipe 39, a pressure is maintained on the outer piston and thus on the sealing-head, while the inner piston and the filling-tube rises. As the inner piston rises, the valve of the filling-tube is again closed, and ultimately a crosshead on the rod of the inner piston engages with a crosshead on the rods of the outer piston, and lifts the sealing-bead, the whole apparatus being then moved aside to bung the cask. The liquid in the sight glass runs back to make up the deficiency caused by the withdrawal of the filling-tube. The pipes 26, 30 open into a pipe which dips into the sight glass, the position of this pipe, which may be regulated through rack-andpinion gearing either by hand or automatically, determining the quantity of liquid which remains in the glass so as to fill accurately the different sizes of casks. Stops are also used to limit the movement of the sealing-head according to the size of the cask. The valves 72 may be actuated by hand, or automatically. The rods of the outer piston are preferably in parts to facilitate repair.